I think Milly Rey is saying what I suspect also: at some point, your house was remodeled and someone removed some walls and or elements that were intrinsic to the MCM style. The pony wall is probably not original to the house, and the railing around the stair well is definitely not original. The bi-fold doors and those contemporary white tiles are likely replacements as well. Here are some MCM entryways that are a more true to the design of that era. To emulate these, you'll want to consider installing some veritcal dividers on top of the pony wall or instead of the pony wall. Change out the railing, and put back simple slab sliding doors on the closet. Please also consider getting a new door that has some glass so that you have some natural light coming through, or, at the bare minimum, paint the door (inside and out) a bright cheerful color. Maybe one that you can use as an accent color other places in your home. A slate floor entryway was very common in homes of this era. It might be worth a consultation with an architect that specializes in restoring MCM homes. You may have some other alterations that were done to your home over time, and if you can restore it, it will probably greatly increase the value of your home. And if you're an MCM lover, it's just the right thing to do. Here are some inspiration photos you might find helpful. railing examples Vertical dividers Double doors with glass inserts and another way to divide the entryway from the living space. Sliding closet doors and a globe light are a winner here.

@Anna & @NHBabs- I was trying to say add an above window pergola...not add a window =) We definitely don't have the room for that inside. I think with Dougs design a pergola would be too much though. We can definitely do a smaller, more affordable version of that gorgeous front deck. We are experienced DIYers and can do much or all of the work ourselves and with a few changes its completely affordable. I actually have more of the pavers from our walkway that can be added to the front area to widen that landing out some, though we won't go as wide on the left side as is shown because our yard gets narrower there against the neighbors yard. We can do stone that matches our existing stone out back on the steps and instead of stone columns we can do thick wood posts with black metal caps, and the affordable black aluminum railings that we had planned anyway, which would match our new back deck perfectly. We have considered stone in the chimney at some point in the future, though it won't be next year. It won't be quite as grand as Dougs design but gives a very similar look for alot less $$. I think to the left of the door we can add a long, covered, decorative bench box for wood storage in that space. That way we have wood for a week in the winter without trudging to the fire wood shelters out back every day or so. (We have 2 wood stoves that get used alot in the winters here.) We never use our entrance unless we are going out the front door for mail, and all our friends use the back entrance as there is ample parking out there. I can see us sitting out there on the deck with a glass of wine in the shade though. Since the only visitors we get out front are deliveries and people selling stuff, we probably don't need to add anything for sheltering them lol. Still struggling with house color. Currently its a pale yellowish color my husband hates (ditto for me) and it clashes with our new stone. We were thinking maybe something more earthy in a brown/gray...meaning not just brown or gray, something with a mix of both. Or maybe a darker beige. We'd like to darken it up a bit. The shingles are a dark gray but do have a little brown/tan in them along with the black and gray. Its called Canadian Driftwood.

I was looking at entryways and staircases on Laurel Bern's blog today. She lists some mistakes to avoid. Link if you'd like some photo inspiration. As for a greige, I can recommend BM Silver Satin (OC-26) or Balboa Mist (OC-27).

@marys235 - yes, that’s exactly what I mean! If the Vase is that narrow, your “gallery” of various smaller size of arts could be extended down the full length of the niche. Place the vase & experiment with paper cutouts to help visualize the look. If you have small paintings or pieces you could place them too for a better visual. The vase color & style as well as your decor would determine what kinds of frames & art you hang there. I’d use 3M Command strips for hanging since the pieces would be lightweight & that would give you flexibility to move the pieces around without making a dartboard out of the wall! 🙂. At the very least, my suggestion is probably the easiest to implement and will help you decide if you like the result or instead want to have shelving or another permanent change to the niche construction. And hey, if sometime down the road you see a piece that you fall in love with & that fills the space - well, you have the option to buy it!